Members of the House of Representatives welcomed the gutsy move of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to totally shut the doors to all forms of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), which have been entangled in a slew of criminal activities.
In his third State of the Nation Address on Monday, Marcos ordered the total ban of POGO effective on the same day. The marching orders would be reinforced by the Philippine Amusement Gaming Corporation, tasked to wind up and seize the said operations by the end of the year.
Camarines Sur Rep. LRay Villafuerte said Marcos’ “decisive” pronouncement was a “big surprise” taking into account PAGCOR’s firm objection to prohibiting POGO operations, citing the significant revenue it has been generating for the Philippines.
“The income is not that huge compared to the damages it has brought to the welfare of the youth, and image of the country,” Villafuerte told reporters at the sidelines of SoNA. He also projected that the Philippines would see a boost in investments by shutting down POGOs.
Meanwhile, Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, the chairperson of the House Committee on Ways and Means, expressed hope that the government could bar POGOs without affecting the internet gaming licensees (IGLs).
“IGLs are legitimate. So, I just hope that they will find a technical way of differentiating the legitimate IGL. They were even unable to differentiate the illegal from the legal POGO, what more the IGL and then the entire POGO system, some of which is very legitimate,” Salceda said in an interview.
The economist-lawmaker implied that banning POGO operations “will affect the presidential fund, [and] all the other community activities of PAGCOR."
In October last year, PAGCOR changed the label of POGO to Internet Gaming Licensees or IGL due to negative connotations associated with the offshore gaming industry.
The rebranding, however, drew flak, particularly from lawmakers, who suspect that the move was a veiled attempt to camouflage the illicit activities of POGOs in the wake of multiple reported violations by the firms.
“My position is at least you can segregate the IGLs from the POGO. Because POGO is an IGL,” Salceda remarked.
Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, however, did not buy Salceda’s position.
“There’s no problem because they’re are banned already. All Philippine offshore gaming organizations are banned,” he said.
“Income is immaterial they’re not even paying their right franchise fees. On the other hand, it just causes national security concerns and also criminality."
Marcos issued the total ban against POGOs amid mounting concerns about rampant illicit activities linked to the offshore gaming industry, such as torture, human trafficking, and rape among others.
Lawmakers pointed out that these social ills far outweigh the revenue POGOs bring to the country.
In March, at least 497 foreign nationals and 371 Filipinos were rescued from a POGO hub in Bamban, Tarlac, raided for alleged human trafficking and illegal detention.